Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The UK’s budget update. Finance minister Philip Hammond is set to deliver his second budget speech as Theresa May’s government struggles with political and fiscal instability. Hammond has little room for error (paywall)—his previous budget unravelled, and he’s been criticized for not supporting Brexit.
Aung San Suu Kyi discusses Rohingya repatriation with Bangladesh. Myanmar’s de facto leader will address the “safe and voluntary return” of her country’s repressed Muslim minority. An alleged ethnic cleansing campaign has driven 600,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh.
Vladimir Putin talks Syria with world leaders. Russia’s president will speak with Donald Trump along with leaders from Turkey and Iran after a meeting with Syrian president Bashar Assad. Russia is trying to orchestrate a peace deal for its Syrian ally and reduce its military presence in the war-ravaged nation.
While you were sleeping
Robert Mugabe resigned as Zimbabwe’s president. The 93-year-old leader ended his 37-year-rule after a military coup with parliamentary impeachment proceedings underway. Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s former vice president, is expected to become the second man to ever lead the country.
Meg Whitman is stepping down as CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The highly regarded tech executive, who previously ran eBay and unsuccessfully ran for the US senate, said her tenure will end on Feb. 1, 2018. She will be replaced by HPE president Antonio Neri; company shares fell about 7% on the news.
Russia identified high levels of radioactivity in the Ural mountains. The country’s meteorological agency detected “extremely high” concentrations of ruthenium-106 in the region around the Mayak nuclear reprocessing plant, which suggests a major nuclear accident took place. A state-owned processing plant nearby denies any accident occurred.
US regulators announced a plan to repeal net neutrality. Federal Communication Commission chairman Ajit Pai wants to eliminate Obama-era safeguards that prevent cable and telecom companies from charging extra fees for specific internet services and web sites. Free speech advocates and tech companies like Netflix are expected to challenge the new rules in court.
Google has been tracking Android users even if they turn location services off. A Quartz investigation found that the company has been monitoring locations using cell tower data, even if the SIM card is removed. Google confirmed the practice, purportedly designed for customized push notifications, but is now taking steps to end it.
Foxconn broke student labor laws to make the iPhone X. Chinese students were being forced to work overtime (paywall) with their graduation status on hold until the company met its goals, according to the Financial Times. Apple confirmed the report.
Quartz obsession interlude
John Capone on where unsellable wine goes to die. “In the wine industry, when your product outweighs your demand, there are few ways to legally dispose of it. With permission from the state, pouring it down the drain at specially equipped public facilities is one method, but when it’s already bottled and labeled, there are prohibitive labor costs and headaches involved. And somebody might see you do it.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The end of net neutrality could benefit consumers. Competition will motivate media companies to keep prices reasonable.
Africa’s strongmen are having a tough year. The take-down of leaders like Robert Mugabe signals the possibility of change within the continent’s political landscape.
The late Charles Manson can fit any narrative. The killer and cult leader has been portrayed as a cultural byproduct, right-wing lunatic, and left-wing fanatic, but he saw himself as “just a mirror.”
Surprising discoveries
AI could help spot art forgeries. Researchers trained an algorithm to detect brush strokes that don’t fit artists’ known patterns.
The world isn’t writing as many sad songs. Since 2010, downbeat lyrics and minor chords are on the decline.
Elon Musk really hates turtlenecks. The Tesla chief, who balks at being compared to Apple’s Steve Jobs, said he’d use his dying breath to rip a turtleneck off his own body.
Drinking alcohol alone can strain relations, even if you’re a prairie vole. A new study found that solitary booze consumption adversely affects the monogamous rodents.
Sacha Baron Cohen will pay for Kazakh “mankini” fines. The Borat star who made the scanty one-piece suit famous told Czech tourists fined in Kazakhstan that he’d cover their bill.
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